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the Asuka kits are starting to age causing poor quality parts (especially for their price). Sink marks, flash, mismatched and short-shot parts.... I'm very excited for this release.

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Can't say I've had any flash, sink marks or short shots, but then most of mine are the older Tasca boxings. I've read other complaints about the Asuka kits that makes me wonder if the company changeover affected QC as well as the soaring prices.

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I’ve got a bunch of Asuka kits in the stash and they seem every bit as good as my older Tasca offerings. Just got the ‘Cougar’ M4A3 75 and the parts look great on the sprue. That being said I’m looking forward to the Meng release and hope they do a bunch more variants. I may not live long enough to do them all but I’m gonna try.......

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the Asuka kits are starting to age causing poor quality parts (especially for their price). Sink marks, flash, mismatched and short-shot parts.... I'm very excited for this release.

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Can't say I've had any flash, sink marks or short shots, but then most of mine are the older Tasca boxings. I've read other complaints about the Asuka kits that makes me wonder if the company changeover affected QC as well as the soaring prices.

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I’ve got a bunch of Asuka kits in the stash and they seem every bit as good as my older Tasca offerings. Just got the ‘Cougar’ M4A3 75 and the parts look great on the sprue. That being said I’m looking forward to the Meng release and hope they do a bunch more variants. I may not live long enough to do them all but I’m gonna try.......

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I have several M4A3 76mm tanks from Taska, and a couple 'E2 kits. All these have sink marks in a very poor location:



A bit fuzzy, but it shows the sink mark the best using my lousy camera. Compare the round pin detail for the swing arms for the road wheels. The back side, left, is just fine, but the outer side, right, has a deep sink mark. Those are not going to be easy to fix as they cross through both pins. Hopefully this had been fixed on the new 75mm gun tanks.

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the Asuka kits are starting to age causing poor quality parts (especially for their price). Sink marks, flash, mismatched and short-shot parts.... I'm very excited for this release.

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Can't say I've had any flash, sink marks or short shots, but then most of mine are the older Tasca boxings. I've read other complaints about the Asuka kits that makes me wonder if the company changeover affected QC as well as the soaring prices.

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I’ve got a bunch of Asuka kits in the stash and they seem every bit as good as my older Tasca offerings. Just got the ‘Cougar’ M4A3 75 and the parts look great on the sprue. That being said I’m looking forward to the Meng release and hope they do a bunch more variants. I may not live long enough to do them all but I’m gonna try.......

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I have several M4A3 76mm tanks from Taska, and a couple 'E2 kits. All these have sink marks in a very poor location:



A bit fuzzy, but it shows the sink mark the best using my lousy camera. Compare the round pin detail for the swing arms for the road wheels. The back side, left, is just fine, but the outer side, right, has a deep sink mark. Those are not going to be easy to fix as they cross through both pins. Hopefully this had been fixed on the new 75mm gun tanks.

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The Asuka brand injection moulding is a shambles compared to Tasca's releases.

I think Meng got confused. According to parts date allocations the manufacture of upswept bogies predated the introduction of M4A3 76mm by a few months.

That means all of them had upswept bogies. But there were a few M4A2 76mm that snuck by with non upswept bogies. It's a really rare variation. The earliest M4A3 76mm with original T23 turrets had upswept bogies. So will Meng give us both and admit their error ( and mine. There's a possibility of non upswept but very highly improbable. Like you'll win the $500 million in the lottery before you find one)

But I thought it was cool to see the one M4A3 with a composite hull that was produced when the hull configuration was being debated.

I love that Sherman minutiae site.

If you guys want to see some REAL "sinks" in Sherman and Sherman-related kits, try the ITALERI and TESTORS/ITALERI kits...

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If you guys want to see some REAL "sinks" in Sherman and Sherman-related kits, try the ITALERI and TESTORS/ITALERI kits...

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Right in the middle of the drive sprocket. The edge of every bogie unit.

They don't turn up in newer issues of the kits. In fact some parts have been modified with inserts to avoid sink holes. An Italeri Sherman is worthwhile if you get one cheap. I got the Fury release for $25 and an old M4A1 for $15 to do my M4A1E8.

I really want the post war remanufactured tanks or at least the parts included as an option.

The Asuka brand injection moulding is a shambles compared to Tasca's releases.

Right in the middle of the drive sprocket. The edge of every bogie unit.

Yeah, these sink marks that you've just mentioned and those UNSIGHTLY HUGE VERTICAL ONES which show up on both sides of the earlier M4A1 kits' Upper Hulls...

Good Luck with those "post-war re-mans"- We'll count ourselves lucky if we actually get this A3 and MAYBE a couple of the earlier M4s and M4A1s...

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Yeah, these sink marks that you've just mentioned and those UNSIGHTLY HUGE VERTICAL ONES which show up on both sides of the earlier M4A1 kits' Upper Hulls...

Good Luck with those "post-war re-mans"- We'll count ourselves lucky if we actually get this A3 and MAYBE a couple of the earlier M4s and M4A1s...

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Well, if they did that berge-whatever, we can dream of those rare but nifty Shermans! AND, that Ram from Bronco I'm wanting Meng and RFM to duke it out, and see what comes out of the fight!

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Yeah, these sink marks that you've just mentioned and those UNSIGHTLY HUGE VERTICAL ONES which show up on both sides of the earlier M4A1 kits' Upper Hulls...

Good Luck with those "post-war re-mans"- We'll count ourselves lucky if we actually get this A3 and MAYBE a couple of the earlier M4s and M4A1s...

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Well, if they did that berge-whatever, we can dream of those rare but nifty Shermans! AND, that Ram from Bronco I'm wanting Meng and RFM to duke it out, and see what comes out of the fight!

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Hi, Randall! (Or can we call you Randy?)

I LIKE that "berge-whatever" of yours! The "Panzer-Clique" will be after your scalp for that one!!!

Yes, MENG and RFM "duking it out" would be GREAT!!!

But isn't RFM supposed to be doing an M4A3E8..? Doesn't matter, really... What COUNTS is TWO NEW SHERMIES!!!

What say TAKOM, TAMIYA(?), MINIART, ACADEMY, BRONCO, TRUMPY, HOBBY BOSS, ICM, ZVEZDA, ASUKA or even AMUSING HOBBY and anyone ELSE that has a hankering to, all get into "The Battle of the Shermans"??? Boy, wouldn't the FUR FLY, huh?

I could go for up-dated newly-tooled kits of the older M4s and M4A1s...

I have several M4A3 76mm tanks from Taska, and a couple 'E2 kits. All these have sink marks in a very poor location:



A bit fuzzy, but it shows the sink mark the best using my lousy camera. Compare the round pin detail for the swing arms for the road wheels. The back side, left, is just fine, but the outer side, right, has a deep sink mark. Those are not going to be easy to fix as they cross through both pins. Hopefully this had been fixed on the new 75mm gun tanks.

What you can be sure of is that Dragon will re-box and reissue their kits to compete. Airfix will also be issuing a Sherman later this year which I suspect is a re-box of the Academy kit.

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Yeah, these sink marks that you've just mentioned and those UNSIGHTLY HUGE VERTICAL ONES which show up on both sides of the earlier M4A1 kits' Upper Hulls...

Good Luck with those "post-war re-mans"- We'll count ourselves lucky if we actually get this A3 and MAYBE a couple of the earlier M4s and M4A1s...

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Well, if they did that berge-whatever, we can dream of those rare but nifty Shermans! AND, that Ram from Bronco I'm wanting Meng and RFM to duke it out, and see what comes out of the fight!

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Hi, Randall! (Or can we call you Randy?)

I LIKE that "berge-whatever" of yours! The "Panzer-Clique" will be after your scalp for that one!!!

Yes, MENG and RFM "duking it out" would be GREAT!!!

But isn't RFM supposed to be doing an M4A3E8..? Doesn't matter, really... What COUNTS is TWO NEW SHERMIES!!!

What say TAKOM, TAMIYA(?), MINIART, ACADEMY, BRONCO, TRUMPY, HOBBY BOSS, ICM, ZVEZDA, ASUKA or even AMUSING HOBBY and anyone ELSE that has a hankering to, all get into "The Battle of the Shermans"??? Boy, wouldn't the FUR FLY, huh?

I could go for up-dated newly-tooled kits of the older M4s and M4A1s...

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Randy is fine. I've been called many names, a number in languages I don't understand!

Most of the Asuka/Taska kits I have are M4A1's. It's my favorite early M4.

Really, I am happier than anyone the Berge was made, by multiple manufacturers. It's just not on my want list. However, a well selling model will fund a lot more not so well selling models. The money I was saving for a JadgPanther will now got to a Meng M4A3!

My wall of German armor kits will have to wait a little while longer is all.

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What you can be sure of is that Dragon will re-box and reissue their kits to compete. Airfix will also be issuing a Sherman later this year which I suspect is a re-box of the Academy kit.

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Hello, Norman!

As I understand it, the "new" AIRFIX 1/35 Armor kits for 2019/2020 will be re-boxings of the ACADEMY kits, with some tweakings here and there, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. As I'm primarily an aircraft modeler, I have to mention that I REALLY like the "NEW AIRFIX'" 1/48 aircraft kits, ESPECIALLY their fighters, their Stuka, Defiant and Blenheim kits! Beautifully done!

Hopefully, AIRFIX will continue this trend with their 1/35 Armor, even if they are re-boxings of the ACADEMY kits...

Meng has updated their CAD drawing on their FB site.
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2200077136772265&id=195290177250981&set=a.200850930028239&refid=13&__tn__=%2B%3E
Dan